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Local economy dazzling Jackson County's unemployment rate is lowest since 1987 Jobless rates October's unemployment rate in Jackson County was the lowest monthly rate since November 1987. Here are the lowest monthly rates recorded in each of the past 15 years: Month/year.......................Rate Oct. 1985.........................7.1% Oct. 1986.........................6.7% Nov. 1987.........................4.8% Dec. 1988.......................... 5% Oct. 1989 ...........................5% Oct. 1990 .........................5.7% Nov. 1991 .........................6.6% Aug./Oct.Nov.1992 ...........7.5% Oct. 1993......................... 6.6% Oct. 1994 ...........................5% Oct. 1995......................... 5.4% Oct. 1996......................... 7.1% Oct. 1997.......................... 5.8% Dec. 1998.......................... 5.6% Oct. 1999 ..........................4.8% By DAVID PRESZLER Make no mistake about it, Jackson County's economy is booming. In October, the county's unemployment rate hit its lowest point since November 1987 and dipped below the statewide figure for the first time in more than a decade. And no metropolitan area in the state is adding jobs as fast as the Medford-Ashland area. "This is the good time," says Bruce Laird, regional economist for the Oregon Economic Development Department. "All of the numbers are healthy. This is about as healthy an economic picture as you could put together." Only 4,280 of the 88,810 people in the county's work force were out of work in October for an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent, according Oregon Employment Department statistics released Thursday. The statewide average for October was 4.9 percent, while the national average came in at 3.8 percent. The last time Jackson County's jobless rate was better than the state's was December 1988, when the county figure was 5.0 and the state mark was 5.4. Among the state's five metropolitan areas, only the Portland area at 4.2 and the Corvallis area at 2.3 had lower rates in October than the Medford-Ashland metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Jackson County. The Eugene and Salem areas had rates of 5.1. Jackson County's unemployment has been hovering near historic lows for much of this year, though the rate is quite cyclical because of the seasonal nature of several leading industries. The latest dip comes as mail-order companies and other retailers add staff for the holiday season. The retail trade sector added 1,010 jobs during October and employed 1,080 more than it did in October 1998. Bear Creek Corp., by far the valley's largest mail order company, has already hired 5,000 seasonal workers in the Medford area, the bulk of whom were hired in October. The company plans to hire a few more workers in the next two weeks or so as it continues to fill orders for its Harry and David, Jackson & Perkins and Northwest Express product lines. Historically, Jackson County has had its lowest employment rates in the latter part of the year, thanks to the one-two punch of the agricultural harvest and the holiday shopping season. "If we are going to have a lower employment than the state, this is when it's going to happen," says John Anderson, the employment department's regional economist. In addition to the retail gains, the number of people employed in state and local education jumped an estimated 1,120 from September to October as the school year hit full stride. The county added 1,800 total nonfarm jobs in October. Jackson County's economy has been adding jobs at a faster clip than any other metro area in Oregon for each of the past two months. Year-to-year comparisons show job growth of 3.4 percent in September and 2.8 percent in October. That outpaced Portland (1.8 in September, 2.4 in October), Eugene (1.4 in September, 2.4 in October), Salem (0.5 in September, 0.9 in October) and Corvallis (-4.9 in September, -2.4 percent in October). Though it's too early to tell, there are signs that the November rate could come in low as well. For example, Boise Cascade had planned to recall another wave of workers in October but those plans were pushed back into November and those workers have been hired, according to spokesman Bob Smith. The rebuilt Medford plywood plant now employs about 250 people. "The trend here really is excellent," Laird says. "There's nothing on the horizon that says this can't continue to look good." Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA